Apr 29, 2010
The Anti-Establishment Tea Party Revolt Strikes Again Against the Republican Establishment
Today’s decision by Governor Charlie Crist to abandon the Republican Party demonstrates the extreme distrust between the Tea Party and Republican establishment and shows yet again that the Tea Party is now firmly in control of the Republican Party.
Below are some of the House Republican primaries where the establishment Republican candidate or incumbent is under fire from the anti-establishment Tea Party.
MS-01
Washington Republican favorite, State Senator Alan Nunnelee faces a stiff challenge from two conservative primary opponents: former Mayor and Bush appointee to the Department of Justice, Henry Ross, and Fox News personality and Tea Party candidate Angela McGlowan. McGlowan announced her bid after a national address at the Tea Party National convention [The Hotline, 2/8/10; Commercial Appeal, 2/7/10; DeSoto Times Tribune, 12/14/09]. McGlowan has aggressively attacked Nunnelee as a career politician, for his record on taxes as a state legislator, and declared she will not support Nunnelee if he wins the nomination. [NEMS360.com, 4/28/10], [Paul Gallo Radio Show, 2/25/10].
NH-02
Washington insider and former Congressman Charlie Bass is facing serious competition from conservative activist and 2008 nominee Jennifer Horn. Between his record of supporting out of control deficit spending and his association with the failed Bush economic agenda, Bass’s record has already come under fire in what will be a hotly contested primary fight. Bass has attempted to cozy up to Tea Party activists but has been called out for his blatant pandering. [New Hampshire Union-Leader, 11/03/09; Concord Monitor Editorial, 2/25/10]
NY-01
Since August, the NRCC has promoted Randy Altschuler, an outsourcing pioneer who brags about creating jobs overseas. This sparked harsh words from Suffolk County GOP Chairman John Jay LaValle, who said "I've never seen a candidate try to run for office with more flaws than Randy Altschuler" and readily admitted that he was with Altschuler before he was against him – that is, before he found out that Altschuler has a spotty voting record, was previously enrolled in the Green Party, and ran a company that proudly outsourced jobs to India. LaValle publicly said the two strongest candidates to come through the GOP screening process were Chris Cox and retired CIA officer Gary Berntsen, all but guaranteeing that Altschuler would not receive the Republican Party's nomination [The New York Daily News, 1/25/10]. Another candidate, George Demos, wrote a public letter to the Suffolk County Conservative Party State Chair, Michael Long, and County Chair, Edward Walsh, describing how Altschuler is not a true conservative and encouraging them not to endorse him. The Suffolk County Conservative Party responded by endorsing Altschuler, a move that could set the stage for a three-way general election in November [Politico, 4/23/10]. As of the latest filing, Altschuler has $1.5 million COH, Cox has $614,000 COH, and Demos has about $304,000, enough money for all of them to make their case to voters prior to the September 14th primary [Open Secrets, 4/22/10].
NY-23
It's deja vu all over again. National Republicans are preparing for another divisive and expensive fight between Republicans in New York’s 23rd Congressional District. Sarah Palin’s endorsement of Doug Hoffman last fall in a losing effort in the special election set off a Republican Civil War that is currently sweeping the country. Republican challenger Matt Doheny, a Wall-Street Banker-Lawyer, has come under fire for using “Scozzafava's insider tactics and buying supporters” [The Gouverneur Times, 4/13/10]. Doheney has $813,000 COH and Hoffman has nearly $263,000 COH to spend against each other in the late September 14th Republican primary. [Open Secrets, 4/22/10]. Hoffman has again secured the Conservative Party's line and accused the Republican establishment of abandoning their conservative values. If he doesn't win the primary, Hoffman has hinted he may run as a third party candidate once again [Hotline, 4/27/10].
OH-18
After suffering from a high profile recruiting setback, the NRCC thought it had had found a substitute in State Senator Bob Gibbs who is chomping at the bit to bring back the failed policies of the Bush years. Bob Gibbs, however, is far from the favorite among local Republicans, driving eight additional Republican candidates to file in the primary against Gibbs.
Gibbs has come under fire from the Right for supporting the Taft Tax, the largest tax increase in Ohio history, which also included a provision to allow an automatic 5 percent pay raise for state legislators. [HB 95, 6/20/03; www.legislature.state.oh.us/search.cfm; Ohio House Journal, 6/19/03, p1024-1025]
An ad from one his Republican opponents Jeanette Moll called Gibbs "Go-along Gibbs" for his vote for the largest tax increase in Ohio history. [Newark Advocate, 4/13/10]
TN-08
Although Steve Fincher has been highly touted by the National Republican Congressional Committee, he now faces a competitive Republican primary in Tennessee’s 8th Congressional District. As National Republicans have embraced Fincher, two well-funded physicians announced their candidacies, Dr. Ron Kirkland and Dr. George Flinn, who have publicly expressed their resentment towards Washington Republicans efforts to hand pick the nominee for the 8th District of Tennessee. [Politico, 1/29/10; CQPolitics, 2/04/10]. And if the GOP infighting in the primary is not enough, Brighton businessman Donn Janes said he will now run as a "Tea Party" independent candidate. [CQ, 1/11/10]
To make their case to Republican voters prior to the August 8th primary, as of the latest filing, Fincher has almost $829,000 COH, Kirkland has over $780,000 COH and Flinn has over $124,000. [FEC.gov].
VA-05
No primary in the country has garnered more attention as the divisive battle between Washington Republicans backing Robert Hurt and grassroots conservatives opposed to his nomination. The battle lines have formed around Hurt's support for a $1.4 billion tax increase which landed him on the conservative Americans for Tax Reform list of "Virginia's Least Wanted." [CQ, 12/17/09 ] Hurt's primary opponents have invested significant personal funds including over $200,000 from Laurence Verga and $500,000 from James McKelvey. [Charlottesville Daily Progress, 1/28/10] The Virginia primary is June 8th. The race has been seen nationally as a competitive primary that could aid the Democrats re-election and as a test of Tea Party strength. [Hotline, 4/27/10; Washington Post, 1/23/10]
INCUMBENTS
AL-05 (Griffith)
Parker Griffith has come under fire since he first switched to the Republican Party from the same interests that opposed Charlie Crist. Griffith has come under fire for supporting Democratic leaders and policy positions as recently as last year. He’s also been asked to return money and, in a large part, refused. Republican Leader John Boehner's endorsement of Griffith was denounced by the Huntsville Tea Party. [Huntsville Times, 1/14/2010; Slate, 1/26/10; Club for Growth, 12/22/10; Huntsville Tea Party, 3/3/10]
CA-45 (Bono Mack)
Republican Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack has come under fire from the Right for voting in favor of the House Democrats' energy bill in June. Bono Mack faces a primary challenge from Clay Thibodeau, a Hemet Republican seeking support from conservative Republicans, who decided to challenge Bono Mack because of her cap and trade vote [Desert Sun, 10/25/09; Press Enterprise, 1/13/10]. Bill Lussenheide, a businessman and conservative radio talk show host, is running against Bono Mack as a "Constitutional candidate" under the American Independent Party "banner." [The Desert Sun, 1/25/10]. And now – surprise! Facing right-wing pressure, Bono Mack is wavering in her support of cap and trade, according to a local news story headlined, "Bono Mack reconsiders climate change bill,” in which Bono Mack said, "I'm certainly not there yet." [Desert Sun, 11/12/09] Mary Bono Mack is also highly vulnerable with voters across the spectrum for spending very little time in her district and for her shameless hypocrisy in taking credit for local jobs and projects she voted against in the Recovery Act. [Desert Sun, 1/21/10; Press Enterprise, 9/17/09]
PA-15 (Dent)
Highly targeted Republican Congressman Charlie Dent is in a Republican primary against Tea Party candidate Mathew Benol, of Palmer Township, who was among the leaders of the Lehigh Valley Tea Party movement before stepping down to prepare for a congressional run. Calling Dent a “borrow-and-spend big-government Republican,” Benol is highlighting one of Dent’s many vulnerabilities by criticizing Dent’s record on deficit spending and earmarks. [The Morning Call, 2/21/10]
Tea Party candidate Jake Towne is running as a third-party candidate against Dent in the general election. [The Morning Call, 12/18/09]
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